Sweep, Swept

The Bulls are getting a day off, then leave town for three games in Indianapolis and then three games in Louisville. Indianapolis is off to a slow start.

This was a frustrating home series with the Bulls first taking four games from Charlotte and rising to a solid grasp on first place in the South Division at 6 games above .500. Then they lost three in a row to Gwinnett and fell into a tie with Gwinnett at 3 games above .500.

Adding to the frustration was how the Bulls lost to the Braves: by giving up big innings in the first two games and then taking a tie game into the top of the 9th and one out, and not being able to hang on.

When it comes to stability this year, things are not looking good, 11 games, 10 transactions.

• RHP Jamie Schultz went on the disabled list almost right away. To fill his spot RHP Jeff Ames was called up from "extended spring training" (not sure what that means). Ames has already made three relief appearances and has only given up one run.
• Outfielder Johnny Field was hurt and went on the disabled list, but he's been hanging out in the dugout, so we can hope that he will be back soon. Cade Gotta came up from the Montgomery Biscuits and is 3 for 12 with 3 stolen bases so far. 
• Somebody with the Rays got an ouchie, which led to OF Shane Peterson being put on the 40-man and being called up (good for him). He hit a home run in his first at bat as a Ray.
• To replace Peterson, Granden Goetzman was called up from Montgomery. He's played in two games so far. 
• Tampa Bay called up RHP Chase Whitley and then the next day RHP Taylor Guerrieri was put on the disabled list. 
• Those transactions led to RHP Brent Honeywell being called up from Montgomery where the young (22 years) pitcher has had two starts this year. He has not yet pitched for Durham.
• And, lastly, RHP Yoel Espinal was called up from the Charlotte Stone Crabs, the Rays A+ team down in Florida. He pitched a terrific 2 1/3 innings last night. In fact, an argument could be made that he should have stayed in the game after the first out of the 9th. Certainly, he could not have done worse than what was done.

Outside the game —

• The Herald-Sun and News & Observer have been doing an unusually good job on feature articles this year. In one, the current Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker recalled his time as a Durham Bulls manager when the Bulls were a Single-A Braves team. I was pleased to learn that even back then Bulls fans were obstreperous and noisy. Back in 1983 fans put together a petition and sent it to Braves management, to have Snitker replaced (this was pre-internet, so they had to have worked to get a petition together). Got me thinking ...
• As fans may have noticed, Jared Sandberg is managing from the dugout this year and new coach (and former Bull) Craig Albernaz is coaching 3rd Base. Sandberg discusses that change in a feature article by the Herald-Sun's Steve Wiseman. Hard to tell this early in the season if it will make a difference.

Blown Out in Charlotte

Game 131, Tuesday, 23 August, BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte, NC
Durham Bulls (Rays): 2
Charlotte Knights (White Sox): 3
10 innings
Wrap, Box
Stats:
Game Score: Faria 63; Season Avg 54 (11 starts, 56.1 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .680; Season .674; Diff .006

Game 132, Wednesday, 24 August, BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays): 5
Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox): 6
Wrap, Box
Stats:
Game Score: Marks 48; Season 52 (21 starts, 121.1 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .773; Season .674; Diff .099

Game 133, Thursday, 25 August, BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte, NC
Durham Bulls: 7
Charlotte Knights: 12
Wrap, Box
Stats:
Game Score: Schultz 19; Season Avg 53 (26 starts, 126.2 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .819; Season .676; Diff .143

In this visit to Charlotte, the Durham Bulls managed to play themselves out of contention for the South Division championship.[standings] Could they play themselves back in? Only if the Knights and Gwinnett really stumble. The Bulls have six games with second place Gwinnett (currently on the three-game winning streak), two with Norfolk, and three with one of the best teams in the IL, the Columbus Clippers. Simply not very likely.

This visit to Charlotte was their big chance but the pitching crew, which had been a strength of this team, blew it. Neil Wagner could not hold on to a lead on Tuesday. The decision to move Ryan Stanek to a reliever role looks ever more questionable as on Wednesday he recorded his third blown save and 4th loss in relief since the All-Star break. And last night it was starter Jamie Schultz' turn as he gave up a grand slam in the second inning and left the game before the inning was out.

The hitters, for a change, did just fine. Just not enough to hold up the pitching crew.

Why then go to any of the eight remaining home games?

As a Bulls fan, not many reasons at all. As a baseball fan, however, all the usual reasons are still there: a chance to see a well-turned double play; a perfectly executed throw from under the Monster to second base; a stolen base; a home run; a nasty curve ball; a diving catch in center field; a cup of beer; a hot dog.

Outside the game —

• Patrick Kinas in back from Rio and in the booth. Doesn't seem to have lost a step.
• Ryan Garton is back from Tampa Bay.
• Tyler Sturdevant went back up.
• Richie Shaffer coming back. He got a grand total of 7 ABs while there. 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 K's, and scored a run.
• Manager Jared Sandberg was ejected for the 6th time this year, in Wednesday's game.
• The Charlotte Observer, which used to cover the Knights very nicely, is not any more.
• Not that different from Raleigh's N&O which has foregone next morning coverage altogether in the last few weeks.

Gee, I sound awfully grumpy, don't I?

Big Day at Bat for Bulls

Game 130, 22 August, Harbor Park, Norfolk, Virginia
Durham Bulls (Rays): 10
Norfolk Tides (Orioles): 6
Season: 57-73; Trip: 2-0
Wrap, Box, Virginian-Pilot

Stats:
Game Score: Cobb 27; Average 33 (3 starts, 11 innings)
Tm OPS: Game 1.113; Season .673; Difference +.440

From the beginning this was very unusual game. At the top of the 1st inning, in just four pitches, the Bulls hit back-to-back-to-back home runs: Casey Gillaspie (batting left-handed), Taylor Motter, and Jaff Decker. Since Daniel Robertson was on base for Gillaspie's shot, the Bulls were ahead 4-0.

Unfortunately, for him and for the Bulls, Alex Cobb's rehab does not appear to be going well. Over his 4 innings, the Tides came back with four runs on 9 hits, two walks, and no K's. The Bulls came back with two more runs in the top of the 5th, but Cobb started the bottom of the inning giving up a single and was pulled out for Parker Markel. The Tides scored two in the inning leaving the score at 6-6.

In the 7th the Tides' pitcher hit Daniel Robertson and Gillaspie (batting right-handed) hit his second home run of the game, putting the Bulls ahead 8-6. In the 9th the Bulls loaded the bases and two runs scored on a Dayron Verona single.

A couple of important things happened in this game. The Bulls' hitting was as good as it's been this year, the best in terms of total bases at 28. The Bulls have no choice when a pitcher is with them on a rehab assignment. Everything is dictated by the Rays — pitch count, innings, even the baseballs he throws. So it's up to the bullpen to carry the weight. And that's what they did last night. Markel, Eveland, and Geltz only let one run in while the hitters were doing their thing.

Outside the game —

• Virginian-Pilot reporter Jim Hodges is my kind of guy. Remember our curiosity about why manager Jared Sandberg got tossed at the beginning of Sunday's game? Hodges chased it down.

   For those wondering why Durham manager Jared Sandberg was ejected after only one batter Sunday, be advised that the process actually began a night earlier and 185 miles or so away. From the third-base coaching box on Sunday, Sandberg advised umpire John Bacon that he had missed a strike call a day earlier in Durham. Words over the Saturday call were exchanged between Tides batter Dariel Alvarez and Bulls catcher Curt Casali, and the discussion escalated into a rumble in which both benches and bullpens emptied but no punches were thrown.
    Then the two clubs – and the umpires – moved on to Norfolk, where Sandberg decided that the issue should linger. And Bacon decided it, and Sandberg, shouldn’t linger at all.
   “I don’t know why I was ejected,” Sandberg insisted Sunday. “You’ll have to ask the umpire.”
   International League umpires do not comment about such situations.

• About those baseballs Alex Cobb was throwing, they are major league balls and they manufactured in Central America. The IL's baseballs come from China. There's speculation that the MLB versions are being juiced. 

A Win at Harbor Park

Game 129, 21 August, Harbor Park, Norfolk, Virginia
Durham Bulls (Rays): 5
Norfolk Tides (Orioles): 4
10 innings
Wrap, Box, Virginian-Pilot
Stats:
Game Score: Gamboa 74; Season Avg 55 (12 starts, 55.2 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .679; Season .670; Diff .009

If anyone knows why manager Jared Sandberg got tossed after the first out of the 1st inning, we'd like to know.According to the game log, Jake Hager had just popped out. What could there have been to argue about? By my count, that was the fifth time this season he's been tossed and the second time in the first inning. The Bulls have won the last three times he was ejected. Trend?

Meanwhile, after cruising into the 9th (mostly), the Bulls needed Jake Hager's first home run of the season to win the game in the 10th. Heroics would not have been necessary except for the two runs that Tyler Sturdevant gave up over the 8th and 9th innings. That led to the very odd statistical quirk that Sturdevant acquired his fifth blown save but also his third win. Seems unfair somehow.

A win at Harbor Park this season is a big deal. The Bulls have only won 4 of 15 games played there.

Blown Save

Game 121, 13 August, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Charlotte Knights (White Sox): 5
Durham Bulls (Rays): 1
Season: 54-67; Home Stand: 1-1; Home Games Remaining: 12
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Stats:
Game Score: Schultz 89; Season Avg 55 (24 starts, 122 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .406; Season .672; Diff -.266

Jamie Schultz pitched his best game of the season and added to his league-leading strikeout totals by 11. He left the game with a shutout in hand.

At first, I wondered why Tyler Sturdevant was called in for the 9th. However, the facts were that he had only allowed 1 run in 9 appearances since the All-Star break. So, it seemed to make sense. But things got ugly in a hurry when two infield singles and a sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out. Former Bull Jerry Sands came to bat.

The broadcasters mentioned that an intentional walk was the obvious call, setting up a possible double play. What were they thinking? Manager Jared Sandberg has only called for an intentional walk 5 times this year. It is simply not what he does as a manager (he only called for 8 all of last season). He is not alone in his thinking. The best team in the league, the RailRiders, has only called for 4. Still, Sandberg is the same guy who has said that hitting is contagious on both a team and individual level and Sands had gotten two of the three hits allowed by Schultz. Just sayin'.

All of which became moot when Sands hit a three-run home run. A couple more hits and a couple more runs later Parker Markel came in to get the last out. But not before Sturdevant had earned his 4th blown save and a loss, his ERA had ballooned from 1.14 to 2.51 and the Bulls had slipped out of first place .

Moving on to another topic: Unless local reporters, that would be the Herald-Sun, ask the question, or we happen to tune in to the broadcast early, we fans never get injury updates from the Bulls. Jaff Decker played last night for the first time since August 5. Injured? Probably.

Pitching

Since the All-Star break the relief crew has been doing a terrific job. By last Thursday, they'd brought their running ERA down from 3.79 to 3.43, even better than the starters. In just two games, two of them, Kyle Stanek up in Pawtucket and Sturdevant here in Durham, have added enough runs to push the entire relief crew's ERA back to being well above the team average.

click for larger view

Shutout # 15

Game 114, August 5, DBAP
Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta): 4
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay): 0
Season: 52-62; Home Stand: 1-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Stats:
Game Score: Faria 49; Season Avg 49 (8 starts, 38 innings)
Tm wOBA: Game .232; Season .300; Diff -.068

Sigh.

In today's Durham Herald-Sun:

     [Manager Jared] Sandberg was not surprised by his team’s dozen strikeouts.
    “It’s how we make outs over the course of the season. If we’re not at the top we’re one of the worst teams as far as strikeout totals go,” Sandberg said. “We’re the worst hitting Triple A team in baseball, so when you match up any pitcher against us it could go either way.”

New guys Curt Casali (DH) and Alec Sole (3B) combined for 0 for 7 plus a walk. Looks like they'll fit right in.

Outside the game —

• Reliever Danny Farquhar has been called back up to Tampa Bay. It's his 4th callup this year. Probably tired of packing his bag. He's done a good job for the Bulls since his last return in early July, just 2 earned runs over 9 appearances and 13.1 innings (1.35 ERA, 0.83 WHIP). Good luck.
• Very cool tweet from the Bulls yesterday.

Six steps to #DurhamBulls tarp pulls:

1. Pull tarp
2. Pull back
3. Remove wrinkles
4. Fold
5. Roll
6. Wash hands pic.twitter.com/kkyiVN0OZN

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) August 5, 2016

Bulls Win; Pitchers at Bat

Game 108, July 30, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Louisville Bats (Reds): 5
Durham Bulls (Rays): 6
11 innings
Season: 50-58; Home Stand: 5-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Stats:
Game Score: Gamboa 58; Season Avg 53 (9 starts, 37.1 innings)
Tm wOBA: Game .295; Season .301; Diff -.006

The end-of-game, bottom of the 11th, heroics began with Johnny Field's one out double and Eury Perez's ground-out that moved Fields to 3B. Then, when asked to intentionally walk Jake Hager, Louisville's Kevin Shackelford simply came unraveled. He nearly threw away the ball a couple of times. After that, he walked pinch-hitter Hank Conger (Conger pinch-hitting? More later), bringing Taylor Motter to bat with the bases loaded. I thought Motter was going to wait Shackelford out and he did watch the first pitch for a ball. But the next one he connected for a sharp hit to left field that brought in the winning run.

However, for baseball fans, the fascination with this game was the extreme oddity of 8 different players in the #2 spot in the batting order! That is very likely a first in Durham Bulls history. It all hinged on how the designated hitter rule works.

The game began with Jaff Decker, Jake Goebbert, and Hank Conger on the bench. In the 3rd inning, in his second at-bat, Daniel Robertson, the starting third baseman, drew a walk. He got spiked by the first baseman during a fouled-up pick-off throw. He went to 2B, but had to leave the game. Jaff Decker came in as a pinch runner (#2 player in that spot). Manager Jared Sandberg decided to "burn the DH". That is, to use Richie Shaffer, who'd started as the DH, at third base. In turn, that meant that the pitcher was required to bat in the #2 spot or be replaced with a pinch hitter. So, pitcher Eddie Gamboa moved into #2 spot in the batting order. In the 5th inning Gamboa, for the first time in his professional career, came to bat. You have to wonder if he even had a batting helmet or a bat. To great wonder and excitement, he got an infield single, moved to second base on a wild pitch, and scored on a J.P. Arencibia double, executing a nice slide across home plate. In the 7th inning, relief pitcher Dana Eveland moved into the slot. Eveland has time with two National League clubs. In 13 years in baseball, he'd had quite a few plate appearances, but none since 2014. He drew a walk, but never got past first base. The fifth player in the #2 slot was pitcher Ryan Stanek.
When he came to bat in the 9th,  Jake Goebbert came in to pinch hit (player #6 in the slot). Goebbert flew out the left field and reliever Danny Farquhar (#7) moved into the slot. When he came to bat, the last position player on the bench was weak-hitting catcher Hank Conger (#8). He was sent in to pinch-hit. As mentioned above, he drew a walk and set up Motter for the win.

Still with me? If not, that's OK. As regular readers know, we here at WDBB thrive on quirkiness. Keeps our interest up.

The Bulls remain in first place in the South (yahoo!) and have moved a game and a half ahead of the Gwinnett Braves. The Bulls go for six-in-a -row tonight.

Durham Bulls Tied for First

Game 100, July 21, PNC Field, Moosic, Pennsylvania
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays): 8
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 4
Season: 45-55; Trip: 5-3
Wrap, Box, Scranton Times-Tribune

Stats:
Game Score: Marks 46; Season Avg 53 (15 starts, 84 innings)
Tm wOBA: Game .415; Season .297; Diff +.118

The Bulls are in 1st place in the International League South Division! How weird is that? They are 10 games below .500 and yet they are tied with Charlotte for first place. Plus, they won a game from the best in the IL in a very impressive fashion. See the chart below.

At first, it looked as if Justin Marks, who threw a no-hitter his last time out, was going to have a very short outing. He got through the first inning OK, but the 2nd was a disaster. Then, the Bulls had a great top-of-the-3rd with Taylor Motter's 2-run homer a highlight and acting manager Ozzie Timmons left him in the game. A couple of double plays helped as he did a good job through the 5th.

Timmons and, very likely, pitching coach Kyle Snyder, had to make the decision because manager Jared Sandberg had gotten himself thrown out of the game in the 1st inning. By my count, this was the fourth ejection of the year (2 wins and 2 losses) and gets us wondering about his anger management skills. Did he have a legitimate beef? Probably. Nick Franklin had taken a pitch off his hand that was called a foul ball, not a hit-by-pitch. Franklin ended up leaving the game.

In the 4th Richie Shaffer hit a long home run to tie the game. Jaff Decker drew a walk and did some nice base running to get to 3B on a Daniel Robertson single. Decker came home on a Johnny Field sac fly. That put the Bulls ahead to stay. Speaking of Decker, in the 8th the accounts will show he hit a double, and that's fair. What they don't say is that the hit was a dribbler that barely made it past the infield and the RailRiders didn't expect Decker to even think about going to second base until they looked around and there he was standing on the bag. Decker came home for the Bulls' 8th run on a Johnny Field single.

Add in Daniel Robertson's 2-run homer in the 6th and you have the Bulls best day at bat in a long while.

Parker Markel came back from Hudson Valley to pitch the 6th inning. Ryan Garton has been put on the disabled list. [Note: I assume that most readers of WDBB understand that to/from Hudson Valley transactions are typically paper transactions. Markel, for example, has very likely been traveling with the team, just not wearing a game jersey.]

Kirby Yates, one of WDBB's all-time favorites (e.g., see a typical post here), came to the mound to pitch the 9th inning for the RailRiders. After coming up through the Rays system Yates started the season as a Yankee. He came down to the RailRiders at the end of June. Overall, he seems to be doing OK on the year even if he's back in Triple-A. J.P. Arencibia, who must have caught him a couple of times last year, seemed particularly amused during his at-bat, and he managed a single off of him.

Standings

No-HItter!

Game 95, July 16, NBT Bank Stadium, Syracuse, New York
Durham Bulls: 2
Syracuse Chiefs: 0
Season: 41-54; Trip: 1-2
Wrap, Box, Syracuse, Play-by-Play, Gameday, MiLB

Stats:
Game Score: Marks 97; Season Avg 52 (14 starts, 70 innings)
Tm wOBA: Game .191; Season .294; Diff -.103

This was the first complete game no-hitter in Durham Bulls history! A very big deal. Justin Marks was not doing all that well this year, but now he's in the history books with a great game. 130 pitches, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, no hits, no runs.

Usually in minor league ball a pitcher never even gets a chance to finish a game even if he has a no-hitter going. This time, Justin Marks stayed in the game and set any number of personal and team records.

I listened/watched just the first couple of innings, so missed the whole game. Best stories are at the wrap link and at the MiLB link. Today's game starts at 1:35, so  I suggest listening in to Patrick Kinas' pre-game show that will likely start about 1:25. If the usual pattern follows, he will be interviewing manager Jared Sandberg. Kinas likely to provide more historical perspective.

Here's the last batter, called by the Chiefs' broadcaster.

Luke Maile Coming Into His Own?

Luke Maile

Game 87, July 5, Goodman Field
Syracuse Chiefs: 6
Durham Bulls: 4
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun
Stats:
Game Score: Marks 37; Season Avg 48 (12 starts, 53 innings)
Tm OPS: Game .816; Season .653; Diff +.163
Tm wOBA: Game .352; Season .294; Diff +.058

Game 88; July 6, Goodman Field, Durham, North Carolina
Syracuse Chiefs: 2
Durham Bulls: 11
Season: 38-50; Home Stand: 1-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Stats:
GSc: Faria 72; Season Avg 69 (3 starts, 15 innings)
Tm OPS: Game 1.072; Season .658; Diff +.414
Tm wOBA: Game .478; Season .296, Diff +.182

These are big hitting numbers to go along with a solid game, and first Triple-A win, by new guy Jacob Faria.

The guy I want to call attention to today is Luke Maile. Last night he had 2 doubles raising his total to 12 on the season and collected his 12th RBI. That doesn't sound all that special until we recognize he had a stretch of time early in the season on the disabled list and a not-very-successful early June. But in the last month, he's been hitting at a .309/.373/.471 pace, with 5 of his 12 doubles and 2 home runs (the only ones this year). He's started at catcher in 43 games this season, the rest of his games are as the designated hitter. Maile got a late call-up last year with the Rays and did OK behind the plate, not so good at bat. But lately, he's looking better, much better. He's on the 40-man and the Rays have catcher issues.

[Note: Former Bull  catcher Steven Vogt selected as All-Star. Surely one of the most egregious mistakes in Rays history to let him go off to Oakland.]

Meanwhile, recent returnees Jaff Decker and Taylor Motter picked up 4 RBIs between them and every Bull except Mayo Acosta got a hit (and Acosta got a sac fly RBI).

Outside the game —

• Manager Jared Sandberg recently gave a talk to a Durham sports club. Some insights into his managing philosophy presented.
• Dylan Floro got his first call-up to the major leagues. Likely to make his debut today. Good luck! Congrats!
• To make room, Dana Eveland, who has three appearances with the Bulls this year, was DFA'd.

Rainy Day Notes

Last night's game in Charlotte got rained out and it looks like the Bulls and Knights will play a double-header this evening starting at 6:05. Assuming usual IL rules, they will be 7-inning games.

Meanwhile —

• Demonstrating yet again that WDBB doesn't understand modern baseball, we heard manager Jared Sandberg say in his daily radio interview yesterday evening that Cameron Seitzer "had a good 3-0 swing last night." Our view, as we expressed yesterday, was incredulity that a batter with a .174 batting average, with runners on 2nd and 3rd base and two outs, would be swinging away on a 3-0 count. Seitzer flew out to right field to end the inning. 
• Left-handed starting pitcher Adam Wilk has gone on the disabled list. His last outing was tough, but his numbers (except for won-loss) were just fine. Hope he's back soon.
• In a bizarre move, Danny Farquhar is back to Tampa Bay. He was called up to a game in Baltimore, sent back to the Bulls, and then called back up in the space of a couple of days. Don't know if he actually made all those trips. Hope not.
• Right-handed reliever Ryan Webb, who had been with the Bulls on a rehab assignment, has been designated for assignment. That puts two Rays pitchers in "DFA Limbo", Webb and Andrew Bellatti.

LOOGY? Phooey!

Game 61, June 8, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, North Carolina
Norfolk Tides: 6
Durham Bulls: 2
Season: 27–34; Home Stand: 0–1
Wrap, Box

Stats: 
Game Score: Wilk 75; Season Avg 53
Tm OPS: Game .615; Season .651
Tm wOBA: Game .302; Season .295

I am not a big fan of the whole concept of a LOOGY — Left-handed One Out GuY. The idea is to match up a lefty reliever against a left-handed batter for an out. Apparently, someone down in St. Petersburg likes the idea, unless last night’s action was dreamed up in the Bulls dugout by Sandberg and Snyder.

Adam Kolarek appears to be the Bulls’ designated LOOGY. He was brought in at the top of the 9th inning when the Bulls had a 2–1 lead and a left handed Norfolk Tides batter was coming up. Kolarek had been warming up alongside newly-christened Bulls closer Dylan Floro. The broadcasters Kinas and Poser were confidently and enthusiastically predicting the LOOGY approach.

Did not work out very well. Kolarek brushed Mike Yastrzemski’s jersey with his 4th pitch and the hit-by-pitch put Yastrzemski on first base. Having been out to do his LOOGY thing, and failed, Kolarek was replaced by Dylan Floro. Five runs later, the brilliant start of Adam Wilk and Richie Shaffer’s two run homer were in the dustbin.

This was the sixth time that Kolarek has had a less than one-inning appearance. In five of those six appearance he threw a grand total of 27 pitches (in the sixth he threw 21 and gave up 2 earned runs). The Bulls lost three of those games and won three. For what it's worth, I don't think it helps a Triple A team to have a LOOGY-in-training. And is the whole idea a good one in the first place? Not sure. What we know is that prior to last night Dylan Floro had come into save opportunities at the beginning of the last inning 4 times and he had saved those four games. This time a LOOGY led off and disaster followed.

Nevertheless, let’s not let Adam Wilk’s brilliant outing go unnoticed. By far his best of the year. A game score of 75, 10 K’s, no walks, a solo home run his only blemish. And let’s note the first home run in a while by Richie Shaffer, a clean shot over the Monster.

Note rehabbing Tampa Bay second baseman Logan Forsyth is with the team. He was 1 for 2 last night with a BB.

First Durham Bulls Series Win Since Mid-April

Game 54, June 1, DBAP
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: 3
Durham Bulls: 4
Season: 22–32, Home Stand: 2–1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Jamies Schultz let a lot of guys on base, but got through his 6 innings with only one run scored. Meanwhile, the Bulls chipped away with runs in the 1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th, the highlight being J.P. Arencibia’s opposite field home run in the 7th that saw him chatter his way around the bases.

We should note that we watched the game via MiLB-TV which was only showing a fixed shot from up high and behind the screen. Not a good way to watch the game. Assume that the usual crew was in school.

Manager Jared Sandberg came close to outsmarting himself when he brought in Adam Kolarek for just one out in the 8th and then followed him with closer-in-training Dylan Floro. Floro had a solid 8th, but the 9th was very, very dicey with Floro allowing four hits.

Outside the game—

• Tim Beckham has been called back to the Rays. Not sure why Beckham got the call. He has not been stellar anwhere this year (2 hits in 16 at-bats as a Bull, 10 hits in 54 at-bats as a Ray). Nick Franklin, who is also on the 40-man, is doing just fine (for a 2016 Bull) with a .258 BA, .740 OPS, .332 wOBA, in 48 games. But Beckham’s status has been a puzzle to me for a long time.

Roster Moves, a Couple of Losses, DJ Still in the Game

Game 36, May 13, BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte, North Carolina
Durham Bulls (Rays): 3
Charlotte Knights (White Sox): 8
Wrap, Box

Game 37, May 14, Charlotte
Bulls: 7
Knights: 4
Wrap, Box

Game 38, May 15, Charlotte
Bulls:4
Knights: 5
12 innings
Season: 16-22; Trip: 1-2
Wrap, Box

After a brief Bulls 1-run lead in the 1st, Blake Snell gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the inning. He seemed OK for the rest of his 5 innings. Then the Bulls uncharacteristically had a comeback moment in the top of the 9th and went ahead 4-3. However, Mark Sappington walked two batters (he did have a K in there) for his part of the 9th. Manager Jared Sandberg wisely(?) replaced him with Tyler Sturdevant who got the second out before walking the next two batters force in the tying run (which was charged to Sappington).

We had to wait until the bottom of 12th inning for the game to be over, although there was a high /low point in the top of the 11th when pinch-runner Patrick Leonard got picked off first base. Nevertheless, in the 12th a single, sac bunt, stolen 3rd base, and wild pitch by Parker Markel ended it all.

Bulls are now in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they will play the Gwinnett Braves tonight.

Outside the game (playing a little catchup) —

• Jhan Mariñez won’t be coming back. After being DFA’d by the Rays, the Brewers picked him up. Bad news for the Bulls. He had a stellar 2015 for the team with an astonishing ERA of 1.92 in 61 innings, over 45 games. Good luck with Milwaukee!
• Mikie Mahtook is off the disabled list (3 for 11 in last 3 games) and Jake Goebbert went on the disabled list.
• Danny Farquar got called up, but was then Designated for Assignment (don’t ask me how that works).
• RHP Neil Wagner, who started the season on the DL, got called up to Bulls after a few innings at Port Charlotte. 32 years old. Has not pitched regularly since 2013 (injured in 2014). Stats. He pitched 1⅓ innings on Saturday.
• Taylor Motter was called up to the Rays on Saturday. Good luck!
• Remember Dan Johnson? Well, he’s still playing baseball—a little bit of 1st base and he’s still working on his knuckleball — in an indy league. Good story about the impact of a torn fingernail on prowess of a knuckleballer. [Tnks to DRaysBay for pointing out the link.]
• Blake Snell is the only healthy pitcher with the Bulls who is on the Rays 40-man.

Sandberg Gives Away a Durham Bulls Game

Game 6, April 12, Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Gwinnett Braves: 6

Durham Bulls: 5

10 innings

Season: 4-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Gwinnett Wrap

What in the world was outfielder Dayron Varona doing on the mound in the 10th inning? Especially after reliever Jhan Marinez had only thrown 14 pitches in the 9th? And at least two other relievers were available? Varona in nine years as a professional baseball player (7 in Cuba) had, according to Baseball-Reference.Com (stats), never pitched in a game. Result: Gwinnett scored a run and the Bulls did not recover in the bottom of the inning.

I’m sure there’s an explanation. Something to do with orders from Tampa Bay, or the problems with today's 11:00 am game, or something like that. Wondering why either the Herald-Sun failed to ask or Manager Jared Sandberg failed to answer the question.

The Braves got a gift from the Bulls. I’m guessing they didn’t even say thank you.

Norfolk Takes Title

Season: 73-70; Home Stand: 1-1
Wrap, Box, Norfolk Wrap, Virginian-Pilot, Herald-Sun

I don’t want to write about that first inning. Those masochists among you can get the play-by-play here. Let’s go on to something different.

Congratulations to the Norfolk Tides for winning the South Division. They’ve had a great year and we’ve seen some good games between the two teams. Today should be fun.

Yesterday saw the Triple A debut of Kyle Bird. He came up the Bowling Green Hot Rods, Rays A affiliate, to fill in for Jim Miller. Did just fine in his 1⅓ innings.

Kyle Bird

Outside the game—

• The West Division championship remains undecided! Standings.
• Some years ago the Bulls played their last game with all players using the same bat, until it got broken. Wonder if they will do that again today?
• If the Gwinnett Braves beat the Charlotte Knights today, and the Bulls win, the Bulls will end the year tied with the Knights for third place. 
• I’ve been a bit critical of the Herald-Sun this year, but Brooke Pryor’s piece on Jared Sandberg's year is a very nice job. Thanks.
• The Bulls started the year down in Gwinnett with the umpiring crew of Jon Byrne, Jansen Visconti, and Doug Vines. They are ending the year with the same crew.
• This promotion by the Gwinnett Braves could have some some odd unintended consequences. Can imagine a taxi pulling up outside the stadium and a guy in a Braves hat dragging his wife into the stadium. ... well you get the picture ...

Calling Dr. @ChopperGBraves...It's LABOR DAY! Preggos, come to today's game for FREE! Go into LABOR and FREE parties! pic.twitter.com/su7mHLxUkp

— Gwinnett Braves (@GwinnettBraves) September 7, 2015

Eight!

Season: 67-66; Home Stand: 1-0
Games Remaining: 11; Home Games:8
Wrap, Box

The Bulls kept their streak alive at the DBAP last night. Remarkable.

Both managers pushed their luck, though. Jared Sandberg got away with it. The Knights’ manager, Joel Skinner, did not. The question both managers faced was how long to leave a struggling pitcher in the game. The Bulls Scott Diamond got out of a bases loaded situation in the 4th inning with a lineout to left field. However,  in a bases-loaded no-outs situation in the next inning, he got the first out on a popup, his second out on another popup, but the next batter singled and two runs scored. By that time Diamond had faced 27 batters and thrown 90+ pitches. The Bulls were down 3-2 going into the 6th.

Over on the Charlotte side their pitcher, Kyle Drabeck, went into the 7th inning, but a walk and two singles later he faced the same situation, bases-loaded, no-outs. He wild-pitched in a run, got a K, but then a two-run single by Luke Maile put the Bulls ahead 5-4. He left the game at 27 batters and 104 pitches.

Neither starting pitcher had stellar Game Scores: Diamond’s was 38, Drabeck’s was 40.

But the Bulls' relief crew only gave up one hit. Jim Miller was particularly impressive. I don’t think I’ve seen him more focused on each pitch this year. Two K’s and a pop-up and he got the save

Kudos to Luke Maile for his game-winning single in the 7th and to Mikie Mahtook for his two-run double in the 3rd.

Outside the game —

• J.P. Arencibia started at catcher for the Rays last night and Joey Butler, who helped win the last two games for the Bulls, joined him in the lineup as the DH. The two of them made the difference in the Rays win before just 9,000 fans in St. Petersburg (the Bulls had almost 8,000 in Durham). Arencibia drove in run with a sac fly. Butler hit a game-tying RBI and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
• Along with Butler leaving, José Dominguez is back. He passed through waivers. I didn’t notice him in the bullpen last night, but he was probably there.

You can get headaches trying to figure out the combinations and permutations of the next 11 games. However, I think that it’s safe to say that Columbus and Indianapolis have a lock on the Wild Card and IL West championship. Indianapolis certainly looks like the winner, but one or the other would have to lose almost of their remaining games to fall out of the wild card lead. Standings.

Norfolk, on the other hand, has lost their last four games and is only ahead of Gwinnett (who they are now playing) by two games.

Here's the pattern since mid-season (game 73).

Seven!

Wrap, Box, Virginian-Pilot

Season: 66-66; Trip: 2-0
Wrap, Box

The Bulls reached .500 for the first time in almost exactly a month (July 26) with their seventh win in a row, the longest streak of the year. On game six of the run, Tuesday night, Joey Butler broke it open in the 11th inning, and he had a lot to do with Wednesday afternoon's win. Names we’ve grown to love this last week looked terrific, Taylor Motter, Richie Shaffer, and Butler all had hits in the 11th and Hak-Ju Lee brought in the third run with a sacrifice fly, a run it turned out the Bulls would need as Kirby Yates made the bottom of the 11th a bit more thrilling than necessary.

Then yesterday Joey Butler was at it again, this time with two home runs in support of Bradin Hagens. Along with Mikie Mahtook’s 4 for 5 day at the plate, a timely sacrifice fly by Taylor Motter, and a disruptive stolen base by Lee.

Both games were also bit unusual for Jared Sandberg’s tactics or, rather, his use of some traditional tactics he seems to have avoided this season.

For example, he has only called for 8 intentional bases on balls all season. He did so in the bottom of the 9th on Tuesday and it worked.

Similarly, he has not been a big fan of pinch-hitting, but yesterday in the critical 7th inning, when the Bulls were behind 3-4, he put Nick Franklin in to bat for catcher Mayo Acosta. Hak-Ju Lee had singled with one out and Acosta has a dismal batting average. A few pitches into the at bat Lee stole second base and Franklin then drew a walk (note that the Tides’ catcher set up well off the plate for a 3-1 pitch so it was an unintentional, intentional in hopes of getting a double play). When Mikie Mahtook hit a double to bring in Lee and Franklin and the winning runs, Sandberg looked like master tactician.

Pitching? Blake Snell was terrific on Tuesday and Bradin Hagens got his second win in a row, getting past two important errors by Bulls fielders.

Outside the game —

• J.P. Arencibia went up to the Rays! Congratulations. It turns out that his recent time behind the plate with the Bulls will serve him well. See this link for more than you probably want to know about how they pulled off the roster moves.
• Desmond Jennings is hurt, again. That opens the door for any number of Bulls on the 40-man, to include Joey Butler, Mickie Mahtook, or Richie Shaffer

About these seven wins and the next 12 games —

This has been a remarkable run. The team ERA dropped from 3.99 to 3.90 (with 132 games played, it takes a lot to move the averages that much). The starters went from 3.92 to 3.88, while the relief crew outdid themselves with a drop from 4.09 to 3.93. The hitters moved the team seasonal wOBA from .317 to .321 over the seven games. That may not seem like much, but, again, at this point in the season that’s a big move. The team wOBA hasn’t been that high since July 22. The last time the team pitching has been in this range was back on July 16th.

The rest of the Bulls dozen games are against South Division opponents and 9 of their final 12 games are at home. The Bulls start with Charlotte, have a couple of games against Gwinnett, a few more with Charlotte, and end up with Norfolk. Recently Norfolk has fallen off its terrific run to the top and Gwinnett, which had been making quite an attempt, has also fallen off. With roster turmoil coming for all four teams, who knows what the future holds. For the time being, let’s celebrate a return to .500 baseball.

Slide Continues

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Season: 52-56; Home Stand: 0-3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The Durham Bulls slid deeper into the cellar of the International League South Division with last night’s shutout. Bradin Hagens had a decent start, but it’s hard to win without any run support. And then Everett Teaford, who has had a tough time of it since being sent down from Tampa Bay (10 earned runs in 6⅔ innings — ERA 13.5) had three runs scored on him (1 earned). Which brings up the problem of stone hands/rubber arms: the Bulls have committed 15 errors in the last 5 games.

Nonetheless, it was interesting to see J.P. Arencibia start the game as the Bulls' catcher. That has not happened much this year. Richie Shaffer started at first base, but got pulled from the game (apparently as a call-up to the Rays). Arencibia took off the gear and went to first. Mayo Acosta got to make a rare appearance as catcher.

Jared Sandberg got tossed from the game after a Boog Powell pickoff. Guess he couldn’t see the play on TV re-run. It was a good call by the ump (if that’s what he was arguing about). Powell also got caught attempting to steal and made a throwing error. Not a good day for the youngster.

Speaking of stolen bases, one of the few Bulls strengths this year. They have not stolen a base in the last six games. That might, however, simply indicate a respect for Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt’s arm.

Outside the game —

• Let me put in a bit of skepticism regarding the Richie Shaffer call-up. Don’t get me wrong, I really like him and he has been a very exciting guy to watch (even though he seems to do better on the road than at home). Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out that IL pitchers may have figured something out about him. He’s .241 over the last 10 games and has just one home run. 
• Mikie Mahtook went up to the Rays; came back and put on a Bulls uniform for one game; and went back to the Rays (0-4 last night).
• Grady Sizemore is up with the Rays.
• Joey Rickard, a 24 year-old outfielder with the Montgomery Biscuits, has been called up to the Bulls. He has some very nice numbers with the Biscuits. And seems to be fast (19 stolen bases and 6 triples — I take a triple to be more a measure of speed than of power). Also looks like he crowds the plate a bit. He’s accumulated 40 hits by pitch in his 4 seasons of pro ball (just 5 this year, though). [stats]
• Matt Moore has been optioned to the Bulls. I like watching him pitch. He’s working hard to come back from Tommy John surgery and didn’t do well with the Rays after his two (also not very good) rehab starts here in late June. Yeah, he’s not likely to really help the Bulls, but at this point WDBB is starting to focus on individual performance anyhow. We get a chance to see a great pitcher work on his comeback. He probably should have stayed here for a couple more games anyhow.
• Another rehabber, Drew Smyly, may also be coming back for a start soon.
• The N&O has a feature article on new guy Blake Snell. He should start the next day or so.
• Today: Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates). First place in IL West. ERA - #5; Hitting (OPS) - #9.

The Slide

click on chart for larger image

Mystery Pitchers; Bad Luck Ending

Season: 39-31; Home Stand: 0-3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Starting pitcher last night was Robert Zarate. He did 4 innings. He was followed by Bradin Hagens for 3 innings. Who? Followed by whom?

Welcome to the 2015 Durham Bulls! Even with the diligent efforts of the front office, even with a program, it’s hard to keep track of the players on this year’s team. For that matter, even if you wear your radio at the park, sometimes they don’t know much about the players. So you just have to kind of figure it out on your own.

Zarate showed up a few days ago and pitched in relief in a couple of road games. Not much history available. Stats. But he looked pretty darned good last night. He only let one run in on his 61 pitches, several of which were in the high 90’s. I think he’s going to be fun to watch. He left with the game tied at 1-1.

Bradin Hagens just came up from Montgomery, where he was doing OK. Stats. He also did just fine. When he left the game was 2-2.

So it looks like the Rays have not done the Bulls too much harm in this round of moves.

Can’t say as much about this umpiring crew. So far they’ve called 10 Bulls games this year and they are not the best of the bunch. But it was a hot night and maybe, just maybe, the home plate ump could justify what was a bit of exuberant bat-tossing by both teams that led to two ejections. On the other hand, they really did miss the call on Cory Brown at second base and that really did make a difference.

Meanwhile, a bit of tactical trivia that also made a difference. Bulls managers have historically been very reluctant to call for intentional bases on balls. So far in 2015 manager Jared Sandberg has only asked for 6 in four games. The Bulls lost every one of those games.

Take last night. Top of the 10th. Game tied. Runner on second base. No outs. Jhan Marinez K’d a batter. Got a ground out (runner went  to 3B). Then told to intentionally walk Columbus’ Jesus Aguilar, who had 2 hits and 2 K’s on the night. Next batter hit a home run and Clippers were ahead 5-2.

The Bulls could not catch up. However, Third Baseman J.P. Arencibia hit his 11th home run and the Bulls did get within reach. Note: Vince Belnome started at 3B, but got thrown out of the game for throwing his bat after a called third strike in the 5th.

Outside the game —

• Former Bull, and Tampa Bay ace, Matt Moore is scheduled to start this afternoon. High hopes that he does well down in the bay area. Here too. Possibly the best pitcher we’ve had the opportunity to see here.

In the Wings —

• Over with the Montgomery Biscuits, Leonardo Reginatto started at 3B, then shifted over to pitch in the 15th(!) inning. He gave up a home run in a 1-0 loss. Juniel Querecuto was 0 for 5 at shortstop. Bryce Stowell pitched the 13th and 14th innings. Box. 

Standings

With the loss, the Charlotte Knights moved ahead of the Bulls in the International League South Division. This is a very competitive bunch of teams this year.